Recording apparatus



Jan. 13, 1959 F. MOSELEY RECORDING APPARATUS Filed March -1, 1954 7 05,40 CENTER LINE INVENTOR. FRANCIS L. MOSEL EV A T TORNE V Ufl S ates Patent RECORDING APPARATUS Francis L. Moseley, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to F. L.

Moseley Co., Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of California Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,367

6 Claims. '(Cl. 346-139) This invention relates, in general, to the field of recording devices and, in particular, to lift assemblies for recording means utilized by recording instruments.

Recording instruments generally require means for recording data that may be lifted from the record surface. It is often desirable to lift the recording means so that the record surface may be seen without obstruction, or to record an unmarked interval, or to position the recording means parallel to the record surface without tracing or marking thereon.

It is also desirable to return the recording means to the record surface without causing impact damage to either the recording means or the record surface. A further advantage is gained if the lifting of the recording means can be accomplished by automatic or remote means as well as by manual means.

In the past, one method of positioning such a recording means has been to use a pivoted conventional mechanical toggle arm which is spring loaded and when positioned past a dead center line allows the spring to contract and thereby actuate the recording means. This method of positioning a recording means is not always satisfactory in recording instrument applications due to the amount of rotational over-travel of the dead center point required of the pivoted toggle arm before spring tension becomes strong enough to draw and hold the toggle arm in position. to apply tension on the toggle arm so that it will take hold as soon as possible after the toggle arm has rotated beyond the dead center point. Due to the over-travel required and strong spring necessary for operation of a conventional mechanical toggle, proper control for positioning of the recording means is difficult to achieve by manual or especially automatic or remote operation. A further disadvantage, when using a conventional mechanical toggle is the need for providing means for stopping the recording means after a predetermined distance has been travelled.

Broadly stated, the present invention contemplates in a recording instrument provided with a marking element and a record medium, the combination which comprises a pivoted carrier element or holding frame having the marking element mounted thereon but remote from its pivot. A pivoted arm acting as a lift lever is provided which rotates parallel to the carrier element past a dead center line. Connected between a fixed point and a point on the arm remote from its pivot is a spring which forms with the arm a spring loaded toggle. Means are provided for engaging the arm and the carrier element as the arm is rotated in an are on its pivot but allowing some rotation without engaging the carrier element.

This improved device reduces over-travelling of the A strong spring must be used dead center line to a minimum, thereby allowing the spring to become effective sooner than otherwise possible and also minimizes the tension required for carrying the recording means. Stopping means are incorporated without additional parts or elements. This all results in more ice precise control of the recording means and also allows its actuation by remote electromagnetic means.

In a preferred form of the invention the marking element works on a rotating drum having a record surface. Various recording means such as a magnetic head, stylus, pencil, pen, etc., may be used. The lifting means can be mounted on either side of the instrument, but preferably is mounted on the left chassis side for convenience of operation. A scale indicator may be provided above the marking element to visually note the positioning of the marking element parallel to the record surface at any one time. Any conventional method of positioning the marking element parallel to the recording surface may be used, but preferably a self-balancing servo system is employed to place the marking element by pulling cables attached to the marking element.

These various features of arrangement, construction and operation are plainly shown and described and will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a recording instrument constructed in accordance with the invention and including manual lifting means, electromagnetic actuating means, a marking element, and a drum for a marking surface;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the manuallifting means of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the marking element and manual lifting means of Figs. 1 and 2, taken along line 33 of Fig. 2, with the element in marking position;

Fig. 4 is the same view as Fig. 3, but with the manual lifting means raised prior to lifting the marking element; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to one taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, which illustrates the addition of a lever to the manual operating means to provide for electromagnetic operation.

Referring to Fig. 1, a rotating drum 11 is mounted on an axle 12 and driven by conventional means, not shown. The periphery of the drum is covered with a record means 13 such as paper, chemicals, magnetic tape, etc.

A marking element assembly 14 comprising a point,

of an attached stop pin 17 in an aperture located in a lifting lever 18 is removed from the record surface when the lifting lever is activated. A holding spring 19 attached to a rear chassis section 20 on one end and attached to a rocker arm 21 on its other end provides the tension necessary for proper toggle operation. A dead center line passing through the point at which the holding spring is attached to the rear chassis and the shaft denotes the position of maximum tension on the holding spring and represents the line which must be overtravelled to allow contraction of the holding spring during elevating or lowering operations. Electromechanical activation may be achieved by a pivot-ally supported lever 22 having a lip 23 which fits under the lift lever and an extended rear portion 24 which is booked by a rod 25. The rod is positioned to an upper and lower position by a conventional solenoid attenuator 26 shown mounted on a chassis side 27. Electrical signal input wires 28' leading from a conventional plug 29 mounted on a front panel 3d are connected to the attenuators solenoid which when energized converts an electrical signal into metioned by conventional means. Attached to a flange of the holding frame by a screw, spacer, and nut arrangement 32 is a scale indicator 33 which indicates the location of the marking element parallel to the drum surface. The holder, holding frame and lift lever 18 are pivotally supported on shaft 16 which extends the length of the instrument parallel to the rotating drum. Extending through a large aperture in the lift lever and attached to the holding frame is small stop pin 17 which is engaged by the lift lever. Spring 34 may be compressed between a chassis side 35 and the side of the marking assembly thereby maintaining the marking assembly in a fixed location on the shaft. Rocker arm 21 is loosely connected to the lift lever by a screw and washer arrangement 36 and also to holding spring 19 (not shown in Fig. 2) which is hooked to a rear chassis section 37. The recording drum surface may take the form of a round or fiat surface sensitive to magnetic, chemical or other modes responsive to the type of marking element being used.

Fig. 3 illustrates the marking element 14 in its writing or recording position. The inside surface of the aperture in lift lever 18 is engaged with the top portion of stop pin 17. The stop pin at this point is below the dead center line whereby holding spring 19 contracts urging the marking element to engage with the recording surface 13.

Fig. 4 illustrates the amount of lost motion between theengaging surface of the stop pin 17 and lift lever aperture during a lifting operation before engagement. At the time of engagement, the stop pin is still below the dead center line.

The sectional view shown in Fig. 5 illustrates the lifting means in accordance with the present invention whenever automatic or remote operation may be desired without impairing manual operation. The lower rear corner of lift lever 18 is made round so that when manually pivoted on shaft 16, the lift lever will clear lip 23 of lever 22 and rotation will not be prohibited.

In operation, when it is desirable to raise marking element 14 from recording surface 13 by manual means, lift lever 18 is pivoted on shaft 16 against the tension of holding spring 19 applied directly to rocker arm 21.

At a point before passing a dead center line shown in Fig. 4, stop pin 1'? engages with the lower inside portion of an aperture in the lift lever. This engagement allows holding frame carrying the marking element to be positioned by the movement of the lift lever. At a point past the dead center line, the holding spring contracts and assumes control over the pivotal rotation of the lift lever until stopped by the engagement of the inside surface of the rocker arm with the shaft. The are of the rocker arm determines the distance to which the marking element can be lifted from the marking surface. Tension from the holding spring maintains the marking element in its elevated resting position until the lifting lever is again actuated to lower the marking element. The lowering operation functions in the same manner as the elevating operation with the exception that the stop pin engages with the upper inside portion of the lift lever aperture and the engagement of the marking element with the marking sur ace determines the lower resting position.

Another embodiment of the same invention is shown in Fig. l in which the operation of the lifting mechanism, as described above, is achieved by remote or automatic means as well as by manual means.

An electrical impulse from a remote source (not shown) activates a solenoid in a conventional attenuator 26 which moves a connecting rod 25 and therebypivots alever 22 on shaft 16. A lip 23 extending from the forward portionof the lever is situated beneath lifting lever 18 so that when. the lever is pivoted, the lifting lever is-raised against the tension of holding spring 19 to a point just below the dead center line. Once the liftinglever pivots, the marking element is raised in the sametmanner by the stoppin 17 as described above'for manual operation. When the attenuator solenoid is deenergized, the spring tension of the holding spring will return the marking element to the marking surface 13 since the dead center line has never been passed by the lifting lever. The distance that the marking element can be raised above the record surface may be predetermined by controlling the amount of signal strength transmitted to the solenoid.

I claim:

1. In a recording device including a chassis and record means supported therein, the combination of a shaft supported in the chassis adjacent the record means, a holding frame pivotally supported on the shaft, a recording element slideably mounted in the frame and pivotally supported on the shaft, lifting means pivotally supported on the shaft whereby said recording element may be actuated to upper and lower positions, a stop pin attached to said holding frame, the lifting means having an aperture receiving said stop pin for providing a lost motion linkage between said holding frame and said lifting means, a spring tensioned rocker arm attached to the lifting means maintaining the recording element in either of two positions, a lever pivoted on the shaft having an extended portion thereon whereby the lifting means may be actuated, a connecting rod attached to the lever, and an electromagnetic means operated remotely and operable to actuate the lever by positioning the connecting rod.

2. In a recording device provided with a marking element and a record medium, the combination which comprises a pivoted carrier element having the markingelement mounted thereon, an arm pivoted to swing parallel to the carrier element, a spring connected between a fixed point and a point on the arm remote from its pivot and forming with the arm a spring-loaded toggle having a dead center position defined by a line passing through the fixed point and the pivot of the arm, means.

for linking the arm and the carrier element as the arm is swung on its pivot, said linking means being adapted to allow the arm to be swung in a predetermined are on its pivot without engaging the carrier element, a lever pivoted on the same axis as the arm, means engaging the lever with the arm-with rotation of the lever in one direction, a connecting rod attached to the lever, and electromagnetic means for actuating the lever by positioning the connecting rod.

3. Apparatus for engaging a recording stylus with a recording medium comprising a chassis, means for pivotally supporting the stylus from the chassis for rotatable movement about a substantially horizontal axis, the pivotal support being positioned above the recording medium whereby the stylus is urged about its pivotal support downwardly by gravity against the recording medium, means for lifting the stylus ofi the recording medium including a manual control lever pivotally supported from the chassis for rotatable movement about said horizontal axis, lost motion linkage means coupling the manual control lever to the stylus support means whereby lifting of the manual control lever by a predetermined amount engages and lifts the stylus support means, over-center spring means connected between the manual control lever and the chassis for biasing the control lever to either side of a dead center line, the overcenter spring means being positioned such that the manual lever on being raised engages and raises the stylus support means through the lost motion linkage before passing over dead center of the over-center spring means, and electromechanical means linked to the manual control lever for lifting the lever when energized by a predatormined amount sufficient to overcome the slack in the lost motion linkage means and raise the stylus off the 4. Apparatus forengaging a-recordingstylus with a recording medium comprising a chassis, means for pivotally supporting the stylus from the chassis for rotatable movement about a substantially horizontal axis, the pivotal support being positioned above the recording medium whereby the stylus is urged about its pivotal support downwardly by gravity against the recording medium, means for lifting the stylus oil of the recording medium including a manual control lever pivotally supported from the chassis for rotatable movement about said horizontal axis, lost motion linkage means coupling the manual control lever to the stylus support means whereby lifting of the manual control lever by a predetermined amount engages and lifts the stylus support means to raise the stylus oh? the recording medium, and over-center spring means connected between the manual control lever and the chassis for biasing the control lever to either side of a dead center line, the over-center spring means being positioned such that the manual lever on being raised engages and raises the stylus support means through the lost motion linkage before passing over dead center of the over-center spring means.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the stylus support means includes means for slidably supporting the stylus for movement of the stylus in a direction parallel to said horizontal axis.

6. Apparatus for engaging a recording stylus with a recording medium, comprising means for supporting the stylus in movable relation into and out of contact with the recording medium, toggle means including a manually operated pi-votably supported lever and a spring urging the lever in one direction or another as it is to} moved past an over-center position, whereby the lever of the toggle means provides an over-center action, and lost motion linkage means connecting the lever to the stylus supporting means for moving the stylus supporting means from the lever of the toggle means when the lever is moved beyond predetermined limits of independent movement fixed by the lost motion of the linkage means, the spring of the toggle means urging the stylus through the lost motion linkage against the recording medium when the lever is on one side of its over-center position, movement of the lever against the spring lifting the stylus supporting means for moving the stylus out of contact with the recording medium through the lost motion linkage means, said predetermined limit of independent movement fixed by the lost motion of the linkage means being less than the movement required to move the lever past said over-center position, whereby the stylus can be moved into and out of engagement with the recording medium by the lever without moving the lever of the toggle means over-center.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 989,897 Douthitt Apr. 18, 1911 1,438,829 Howell Dec. 12, 1922 2,511,195 Buhrendorf et al. June 13, 1950 2,694,615 Clements Nov. 16, 1954 2,749,204 Stanfield June 5, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 538,870 Germany Nov. 17, 1931 

